Do not get into an argument with any woman, says Mensutra (Video below)

Staff correspondent, August 28, 2015, NewsCrunch

A two-day video from Mensutra builds a passionate case to stop naming and shaming people (read men) on social media.

It points out that Jasleen Kaur had already filed an FIR against Saravjeet Singh for his alleged abuses and threats. Where was the need to follow it up with a Facebook post as well, which amounted to an open invite to lynch him virtually?

The FIR had made serious allegations, it had noted his bike number. She should have left it for the police and the court to handle the issue and punish him.

The video also slams the people, who shared it without knowing the full story and finally, the media for forgetting the basic journalistic ethic of reporting both sides of the story.

The video ends with a final message for men. Do not get into an argument with any woman or even try to take her out. All she has to do is to click a picture, add some misogynist dialogues and put it on Facebook.

Video: The new trend of Indian girls publicly shaming men on Facebook! (Mensutra)

A YouTube screen grab of Raju Narayanaswamy IAS, who is not leaving the country

Staff correspondent, August 28, 2015, NewsCrunch

A media report caused flutter on Thursday when it claimed that Raju Narayanaswamy IAS was quitting India and going abroad for good.

Raju Narayanaswamy, a celebrated Kerala-cadre officer known for his honesty, was leaving the country in disgust, the report suggested.

As the The headline put dramatically: #FailingTheHonest This IAS Officer Who Took On The Govt., Now Considering Leaving The Country

The lengthy report noted in the last para:

Mr. Narayanaswamy is on the verge of leaving IAS to go to Paris to take up a well paid United Nations assignment. The politicians can laugh thinking another obstacle has been removed. But it is the helpless people of this country who will lose - not Narayanaswamy.

The report acknowledged that it was based on a Facebook post.Now here is what is wrong with the report and here is also why Raju Narayanaswamy is not leaving India.

1) The original Facebook report was written in 2011. The reporter in question, probably a novice or lazy or both, based her story on that without noting the year.

To restate, the reportér's story dated 27/August/2015, which said Raju Narayanaswamy was leaving India, was based on a four-year-old Facebook post.

2) A Personnel Ministry website says Raju Narayanaswamy went abroad for training in 2012. Many IAS officers do that and even do short stints with international bodies such as the UN. The lure is the huge pay cheque they receive. They come back and go on to play another long innings in the country.

T S R Subramanian returned from a UN posting, went on to become UP Chief Secretary and later Cabinet Secretary as well.

3) Raju Narayanaswamy came back though to languish in Kerala a bit - he was secretary of stationary and printing. He also got into a fight with Kerala Chief Secretary last year alleging victimisation.

He seems to have gone on central deputation and become Chief Vigilance Officer of a central public undertakings.

A man was caught on camera assaulting his wife after she found him cheating with another woman.

The video shows a nasty brawl between them, which culminates in the husband slapping and kicking the woman.

The incident reportedly unfolded at an airport in Goa.

The video which went public on Thursday shows a couple, who are accosted by another woman, claiming to be the man's wife. While the man does not dispute the claim he is far from being defensive or apologetic.

He refuses to go with his wife, who in the a fit of temper slaps the woman, she calls his mistress.

The husband is enraged and slaps his wife and even kicks her in the stomach. Onlookers mostly taxi drivers, who are quietly watching the drama till then, intervene and restrain the husband, cautioning him.

Free Kasol café owner Shashi Devi tells her side of the story – Indians are welcome (video below)

Staff Correspondent, August 28, 2015, NewsCrunch

Budding reporter Saif Syed has interviewed the owner of the Free Kasol café, which was in news early this month, for its alleged refusal to admit Indians. Stefan Kaye, a British musician, had complained that the owner of Free Kasol cafe had refused to serve an Indian woman with whom he had gone to eat.

Free Kasol café has an Israeli menu and loyal clientele from that country.

The report of the incident went viral, triggering an outrage and an official probe. Imagine, the nerve of the Free Kasol cafe owner, who discriminates against Indians in favour of Israelis, in their own country!

Shashi Devi, the owner of Free Kasol café walks in for an interview with Saif Syed.

She is a frail Himachali woman in traditional attire, with her head covered. Not your copybook beefy racist surrounded with bouncers.

Speaking in pahadi Hindi and with a charm that comes only to the people of the mountain, Shashi Devi denies that there was any racism involved.

The waiter had given just one menu to the British-Indian couple, who came to eat. That led to an argument and an exchange of heated words. The couple were asked to leave.

Shashi Devi reminds that it is her establishment and she has made people leave in the past as well, those who did not behave to her liking.

She says she has a problem if a boisterous group walks in with beer bottles in hand.

She is also an Indian, Shashi Devi says. “Who else would she feed, if she did not feed Indians,” she adds.

Saif Syed goes on to speak to customers, who are from Israel, and a few Indian tourists on the street. He does not find any discrimination at Free Kasol café.

The report partially vindicates Indrani Mukerjea’s longstanding attempt to make a sister out of Sheena Bora.

Staff Correspondent, August 28, 2015, NewsCrunch

As a minor, Indrani Mukerjea had been reportedly raped by her step father, and Sheena Bora was born as a result, says a media report.

If authenticated , the report partially vindicates Indrani Mukerjea’s longstanding attempt to make a sister out of Sheena Bora. It also throws light on her complex psyche born out of unstable possibly vicious relationships.

Catch News, former Tehelka Editor Shoma Chaudhary's latest venture, reports that during interrogation, Indrani Mukerjea has told Mumbai police that she had been raped by her step father when she was just 17 and Sheena Bora was the outcome of that unwanted encounter.

Indrani Mukerjea’s biological father had left the house when she was very young and her mother had reportedly married his brother.

After the incident Indrani Mukerjea left Guwahati for Kolkata where she married a tea magnate and later a businessman.

This version of the early Indrani Mukerjea life has been partially corroborated by journalist Vir Sanghvi, who had worked closely with Mukerjeas in their Newsx venture till falling out with them acrimoniously.

Speaking to India Today TV, he said Indrani Mukerjea would often state that she had been molested by her father.

Indrani Mukerjea's dark history seems to have unfortunately continued with her daughter as well.

The Quint reported on Thursday that Sheena Bora was a few months pregnant, when she had been murdered. It said a person very close to Indrani Mukerjea, was responsible.

The report said the man in question had his moral compass switched off. When confronted by Indrani Mukerjea, he reportedly pointed out that in the society they moved in such dalliances were common.

A major charge against Aurangzeb was that he imposed a hated Jizya tax on Hindus - to institutionalise discrimination against non-Muslims.

An article in Spiritual World gives a different perspective on that controversy.

Aurangzeb abolished 65 taxes on general population that led to an annual loss of fifty million rupees to his exchequer. That put him under pressure to find newer ways to mobilise revenue, and Jizya was one of them.

But why target only Hindus? Because he was already extracting certain levies from Muslims, which Hindus were not paying.

All Muslims had to pay Islamic taxes such Zakat (2.5% of savings), Ushr (10% of agriculture products) and charity charges such as Sadaqah, Fitrah, and Khums, from which Hindus were exempted.

Indrani Mukerjea had reportedly married a Guwahati doctor’s son when she was barely 16.

Staff Correspondent, August 29, 2015, NewsCrunch

Indrani Mukerjea, who is facing the charge of murdering her own daughter Sheena Bora, may have been married four times, not three as reported.

Quoting a close relative of the BorasThe Telegraph said Indrani Mukerjea had married the son of a well-known Guwahati doctor when she was barely 16.

The marriage, which had taken place at the Kamakhya temple, had reportedly not been accepted by the doctor’s family.

" Within six months, they had a bitter parting. Their temperaments were very different. The temple wedding was not registered," the source informed the newspaper.

The Telegraph was the first publication to break the news that Sheena Bora was Indrani Mukerjea’s daughter, not sister as she had claimed.

It is known that Indrani Mukerjea left for Kolkata at an early age where she had two failed marriages with Sidharth Das and Sanjeev Khanna. She then shifted to Mumbai, met and married Star TV boss Peter Mukerjea.

Piecing together Indrani Mukerjea’s early life, which may hold the key to her motive for allegedly murdering her own daughter, is proving to be elusive as there are several conflicting versions.

The trigger for the letter is Modi’s forthcoming visit to Silicon Valley.

Staff correspondent, August 29, 2015, NewsCrunch

Over 100 top USacademics have written a letter giving a stinging appraisal of Modi’s first year in office. In the letter released to the left-wing journal Economic and Political Weekly they have accused Modi of a several serious misdemeanour, including appointment of incompetent individuals such as Gajendra Chauhan to FTII.The letter has been signed by the who’s who of the academics from the Indian diaspora and also American experts on Indiasuch as Wendy Doniger.The trigger for the letter is Modi’s forthcoming visit to Silicon Valley. The letter advises US tech firms to be wary of Modi’s Digital India initiative, which enhances surveillance and represses rights of citizens. In his first year in office, Modi has censored and harassed his critics, restricted NGOs, attacked religious freedom, and steadily impinged on the independence of the judiciary, it alleges.

Modi has also led an attack on autonomy of academic institutions such as the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, the Indian Institutes of Technology, NalandaUniversity and IIMs, it notes.

Among other things, Modi has also made incompetent appointments to the Indian Council of Historical Research, the Film and Television Institute of India, and the National Book Trust, say the academics.

The letter also draws attention to Modi’s history, his role in Gujarat riots and his subsequent US visit ban.

There is still an active case in Indian courts on his role in the Gujarat riots, it notes.

Arjun Appadurai, Akeel Bilgrami, Partha Chatterjee, Wendy Doniger, Chandra Talpade Mohanty, Vijay Prashad, Ajantha Subramanian and Kamala Visweswaran are among those who have signed the letter.

Akshay Kumar and sister Alka Bhatia have set an unbeatable Raksha Bandhan record for any sibling act with a hilarious Ram Leela scene.

The Bollywood star released the video on the Raksha Bandhan day which celebrates the brother-sister relationship.

Akshay Kumar plays Ravan and Alka Bhatia, Sita. The video shows Akshay Kumar clad in a half-saree, dancing to the rustic Ram leela music, and clearly overacting. He is joined by his foot-tapping sister, who plays the Sita.

Ravan casts off his camouflage and reveals himself, threatening to kidnap Sita, who in turn gives him a slap.

The video, which shows the playful bond Akshay Kumar and Alka Bhatia enjoy, is going viral.

Born in Amritsar Akshay Kumar and Alka Bhatia grew up together and have remained close. Akshay Kumar says he has never fought with her and, in fact, credits her for having taught him how to reconcile differences and manage relationships.

The only time there was any tension in their relationship was when Akshay Kumar opposed Alka Bhatia seeing Sanjeev Hiranandani, the real estate magnate. But when they marred in 2012 Akshay Kumar was there managing the show and enjoying every bit of it.

A screengrab of a Khap Panchayat - which have triggered a global controversy

Staff correspondent, August 30, 2015, NewsCrunch

More than 100,000 Britons have signed a petition to put pressure on the Uttar Pradesh Government to protect two Indian sisters, who have been sentenced to be gang-raped by a local Khap Panchayat.

The Khap Panchayat of the Baghpat village handed out the punishment to two Dalit sisters Meenakshi Kumari, 23, and her 15-year-old sister after their brother eloped with a married Jat woman.

The sisters approached the Supreme Court on Friday seeking protection from the Khap verdict.

The incident received intense coverage in several countries from Australia to UK to USA. Time, Mashable, Washington Times, The Daily Telegraph, The independent and Al-Jazeera were some of the publications that took note of the controversy.

In the UK, the issue was reported by almost all major publications prompting British MPs to lobby with their government to put pressure on India to act.

Nadhim Zahawi, who is on the UK foreign affairs select committee, condemned the Khap ruling and urged the UK Foreign Office to intervene.

PTI quoted a British Foreign Office spokesperson saying, UK was committed to working with the Indian Government on addressing violence against women in India.

The media coverage also made nearly 100,000 Britons sign an Amnesty petition condemning the "disgusting" ruling.

"There must also be a proper, independent investigation into these barbaric and illegal orders which apparently continue to be issued by the khap panchayat courts," she added.

The sisters' brother Ravi was in a relationship with a Jat girl from the same village, who was married off to another person early this year.

But she and Ravi eloped later, prompting the Khap Panchayat to pass a vindictive order against his sisters. Besides trying to subject them to gang rape, the Khap Panchayat also said the sisters should be paraded naked with blackened faces to punish them for their brother's actions.

Activists are also worried about the safety of the Jat woman, who is pregnant with Ravi's child.

Sandalwood, the Kannada film industry, is split vertically on the dubbing controversy.

After the Karnataka High Court and Competition Commission of India (CCI) ruled that dubbing ban was illegal, many have come out in support of the decision. But the old guard remains steadfast in its opposition arguing that dubbed content will finish off the struggling industry.

Kannada film industry has resisted dubbing of any content into Kannada; even programmes with strong social messages like Satya Mewa Jayate were not exempt from the informal ban placed by an industry association.

But T-Series has been dubbing many of its songs into Kannada and releasing them on YouTube for more than two years now. It owns the content and the Kannada industry association has no influence over the distribution channel, which is owned by Google and is hungry for content.

The quality of dubbed lyrics and performance is also professional.

The T-series regional channel on YouTube has dubbed Aashiqui 2 songs into several languages, including Kannada. The Kannada Version of Sunn Raha Hai has clocked over 56,000 views.

Late last year T-Series Kannada dubbed Sunny Leone's "Baby Doll" song from Bollywood film "Ragini MMS 2." The former adult star now croons "Chinnada Gombe Na" in Sandalwood!

Video: Watch Kannada Version of Asshiqui 2's Sunn Raha Hai

A YouTube screengrab of Hardik Patel, who counts on Bal Thackeray and Babu Bajrangi as his role models

Staff correspondent, Auust 30, 2015, NewsCrunch

Hardik Patel, who counts controversial Hindutva icon Bal Thackeray as an influence, says he has also been inspired by Babu Bajrangi, a Gujarat Bajrang Dal leader.

Babu Bajrangi, whose real name is Babubhai Patel, has been sentenced to life imprisonment by a special court for his role in Gujarat riots of 2002. He was a key accused in the Naroda Patiya massacre in which ninety-seven Muslims were murdered.

Speaking to The Indian Express, the new political sensation from Gujarat, Hardik Patel, named Babu Bajrangi as an inspiration figure.

When Indian Express pointed at Babu Bajrangi's role in Gujarat riots, Hardik Patel said: “We need good people to protect society.”

Hardik Patel also seems to have followed Babu Bajrangi's footsteps in his initial work.

Bajrangi managed Navchetan Trust, which sought to protect the honour of Hindu women by "rescuing” them from marriages to Muslims and Christians.

In 2011, Hardik started the Sardar Patel Sevadal to protect Patidar women from harassment and eve-teasing. Hardik claims to have handled 6,000 cases of sexual harassment over a period of two years and says much of his initial popularity came from this work.

Hardik Patel's new revelations would restrict his choice of political friends. After his initial rallies demanding reservation of Patels, he had been assured support by Janata Dal(U) leader Nitish Kumar.